


Leaving the Past

by intoner



Category: Drag-On Dragoon | Drakengard
Genre: F/M, Two/Cent on the side, floral shop AU, modern day AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-22
Updated: 2019-02-14
Packaged: 2019-03-08 07:22:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 21,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13453281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/intoner/pseuds/intoner
Summary: Modern day AU of Drakengard 3 where Dito meets Zero who works at a floral shop. He plans to use her as an excuse to avoid Five, but eventually his motive changes.Told on Dito's side of the story.





	1. Beginning of New Ties

_Out of all people, why’d it have to be me?_

Dito found himself in a predicament no one deserves to be in: being forced into Five’s family gathering. Ever since he met her, his life has been hell. Even though he hates everything about her, she doesn’t know how to take a hint. The wretched woman always finds some way to drag Dito into spending time with her. Shopping, studying, going out to eat, any excuse she could find to make them stay together. Despite his open protests of hatred for all the activities she comes up with, nothing he says ever gets processed through Five’s head properly. Her idea of Dito having a good time with her was always a form of sexual act he had no desire to participate in.

 _Why’d it have to be me?_ repeated in his mind again.

But he already knew why. There’s nothing Five is more attracted to than something or someone she can’t have. All of Dito’s protest and open disdain for her made her want him more, and knowing that’s what drives her made him all the more sick to his stomach. The only pleasure he could derive from Five were violent fantasies of her body becoming gory and ugly enough to match her personality. Even with those thoughts to get him through his time with the accursed woman, he was still forced into many situations he hated. And now he has to deal with her family.

 _If she’s this fucked up, I’d hate to know what her sisters are like…_ Before he had any time to complain in his head more, bad company appeared in his presence.

“Ditoooo! Are you ready?”

_Even the sound of her voice disgusts me. Pigs squealing have a more pleasant sound._

“Yeah yeah, I’m ready. Let’s go before we’re late.”

“Now wait a minute Dito…” she said while tuning her voice higher with each word.

_Oh, great. We all know the shit she’s about to pull._

“There’s still some time left. Wouldn’t it be better to spend it together here in bed than driving in the car?”

 _Of course it wouldn’t be, you sex-crazed freak!_ “Well, Two and Cent have already left and there could be traffic…” Usually his roommate Cent could save him from being tortured by Five, but she was fully taking advantage of him being out. “We _were_ supposed to leave with them, but you decided to show up half an hour late.”

“Oh, come now Dito. Now is the perfect time to be intimate.” She began to inch closer towards him, causing him to react by narrowly dodging her attempt to grab him.

After managing to escape her touch, he rushed out the door and quickly brought out his phone. With only giving a quick glance at his screen he told Five the best excuse he could come up with. “Hey, looks like traffic’s going to be bad! Let’s get going already, wouldn’t want to be more late than you already are.” This may not have been his smoothest of ways to get out of Five’s horrible plans, but it worked all the same. While walking as fast as he could down the hall to leave for the car, Five quickly followed him.

He already knew spending a long drive with her would be awful, just short walks to the store with her were already terrible. But even after the drive he would have to spend more hours with Five and her sisters. He knows Two isn’t bad, but always has a lingering feeling she’s hiding something similar to her younger sister. Most situations with Five give him uneasiness, but the thought her sisters could be as bad or even worse than her set him off into a spiral of distress.

* * *

 

Dito’s anxiety of what waited didn’t die down at all during the car ride. In fact, it almost put him on edge even more. His imagination and thoughts only concluded with the worst possible ideas for what her sisters would be like. _Are they going to be greedy like her? Or have an awful personality to match hers? Maybe they’re all insane in their own ways._ Before more thoughts could pour in, the pair arrived to their destination.

Once out of the car Five clung onto Dito’s arm like a leech. He knew any attempts to argue against her would simply waste more time. As he let out a disappointed sigh, the two walked their way from the parking lot to the door of the restaurant. Inside they were greeted by a woman with light blonde hair, only a few inches taller than Dito.

“Five, you’re late.” While her voice sounded stern, her red eyes looked calm.

_Come on lady, what else do you expect. When ISN’T she late?_

“Not on purpose! Do you know how long it takes me to choose just the right outfit?”

_It doesn’t matter how much time you spend on your clothes. Nothing can hide how ugly and vile you are._

Another woman with brown hair shouted from a table nearby, “Oh, Five! Will you ever start learning how to be punctual?!”

“Don’t scold her too harshly, Four. Let’s just be glad our sister is here to join us.”

Dito began making connections in his head after hearing her name. _So, that brown haired one is one of Five’s sisters? That must mean that other girl at the table and the one in front of us now are her other sisters._ Besides Four and the woman standing in front of them, someone else with purple hair was sitting across the table from Four. She seemed to have her head rested on the table as if it was a pillow. Unlike the other two, she hadn’t said a word about Five.

“Don’t be so uptight, my dear sister.” After shifting her attention from Four back to Dito, Five began proper introductions. “Dito, the girl wearing green plaid in the back is Four and the girl asleep is Three. And our big sister One is right in front of us!”

“I’d say nice to meet you, but I kind of already regret coming here.” He didn’t see a point in trying to be formal for an event he hated.

“Now Dito, if you keep using that sharp tongue of yours I’ll have to punish you later.”

“Being around you is punishment enough.”

Four interrupted interrupted their argument to start a new one, “How did I know that something you choose would end up with you ruining it, Five? Not only is your foul mouth here, you’ve brought some cheeky little brat! Why don’t you learn to be considerate of others? One patiently has been waiting, and even Three has been more cooperative than you.”

“Enough, Four. I’ve already said that you needn’t scold her. Go search for Two and Cent while I wake Three.”

Giving a quick nod and okay, Four complied with her elder sister’s request. As she began her search One began waking Three. It proved to be difficult on both sides, waking Three up was a challenge even for One and the younger sister struggled to open her eyes. However by the time another woman with blue bobbed hair had ran up to the table, Three was rubbing the sleepiness out of her eye.

“Oh, Three, you’re up! And Five’s here too!” Dito already knew the sister greeting them now; Two, who was as energetic as ever.

“Now wait for us, Lady Two.”

“Cent, I told you to just call me Two! And saying that in front of my sisters is so embarrassing.”

“Will you two lovebirds just sit down and order? Then you can flirt all you want, I had to hear enough while walking back with you.” Despite Cent and Two’s conversation being considerably tame compared to other words exchanged between them, Four was already at her wits end after dealing with Five; her usual niceness was harder to keep up with.

The couple’s only response was to join hands and take a sit next to each other. After Four followed suit everyone was finally seated. Dito’s order was a simple stew while Two and Cent decided to share a dish. Everyone else’s order was normal, except Five. Her gluttony would never allow her to order just one dish; she found different types of enticing flavors in everything she ate. There was no way for her to only taste just one, she always had to have as many dishes she could eat before reaching the limit. Her lack of restraint disgusted Dito more and more. She had no care for the cost or mess she made, filling her own empty desire was her only concern.

While Dito may enjoy the stew, the price to pay was more than money. Hearing sweet words exchanged between Two and Cent made him sick. Three’s eccentric behavior made her a pain in the ass. Four was a prude who had a stick up her ass and feigned innocence. His hatred towards Five increased more with every bite she took out of her lunch. The only tolerable one to him was One, but he was perplexed by how she could possibly stay calm with such a dysfunctional family.

Lunch continued on, and Dito’s resentment for everyone grew. Though most of the food on everyone’s plate was gone, Two and Five insisted on trying some dessert together. While they may seem different, their bond for food was strangely in tune. _Do they HAVE to make everyone wait so they can eat? No one else wants dessert, why can’t they take it to go?_ As Dito yelled in his head, a new guest appeared.

Her hair was white and brought into a ponytail by a black bow. She wore a short white dress and black heels that clicked on the ground as she walked towards the table with anger visible on her face. She gave each girl a glare before making her presence known.

Her frown turned into a cocky smile before asking, “How come I wasn’t invited to the family reunion?”

All the sisters looked in surprised but the first to say anything was One. “How did you find us? You have no business here.”

“It was pretty easy to find you since you fucking idiots forgot to kick me out of the group chat. And I actually do have business here.”

Four stood up from her seat before speaking, “Zero, if you sit down we can talk about this. No one is mad at you about last time, everyone sends mean texts sometimes. We still love you!”

“Four, her 'mean text' was a threat to set us on fire and laugh while we burn if we ever set foot in her work again.” One looked exasperated from remembering the conversation that escalated to such words of violence.

“It’ll become reality if you ever come near my work again. ESPECIALLY for you, Three. You really thought you could steal from my work? Has being a shut in made you more fucking stupid?”

One immediately looked at Three. “Is this true? What did you steal?”

“...I saw a flower that I could turn into an accessory for my doll.”

“Screw your creepy doll. You cost me a cut in my paycheck, and you’re going to pay me back what I lost.”

One was ready to take responsibility for her sister, who had little interest in the problem she caused. “I brought us to your shop, so I will pay on Three’s behalf. I don’t have any cash on me as I was planning to pay by card, but I can compensate you after the bill.”

“I’m not waiting on you to finish this little gathering, I have shit to do. Meet me at the shop later to pay.”

Without waiting for a response, the white haired woman turned and left swiftly. The entire restaurant had now been watching the group as if the argument that just happened was a segment on a reality show. Dito looked to Cent for a possible explanation, but he seemed just as confused. Before either could ask, Four began to start another argument.

“How could you, Three?! If you wanted the flower, all you had to do was ask! Stealing is wrong, and all you did was ruin lunch. I hope your accessory for your weird hobby was worth it, because now One has to clean up after your mess.”

“I’m sorry,” followed by a yawn was Three’s only response.

“Really? You’re really sorry? Because you sure don’t sound like it.” Four’s anger was increasing with each word you spoke. “If you were REALLY sorry, you wouldn’t have let One take the blame! Oh, you think you can get away with anything though, huh? I see right through your act. You try to be this mysterious charming girl, when it just makes you look like a total weirdo! A creepy messed up bitch like you shouldn’t have such a nice face. Why don’t you just let me rip your skin off? Maybe then you’ll be sorry, you fucking doll freak!” She began laughing maniacally, drawing in more attention from others in the restaurant.  

“Looks like you made Four lose her temper! How scary!” Five’s commentary was not helping the situation, as Four simply turned to her and poured a glass of water on her.

“YOU THINK YOU’RE ANY BETTER, YOU SACK OF DISGUSTING MEAT?!”

“Stop this immediately! Two, Cent, take Four outside before she does anything else.” The couple complied to One’s orders, though had to drag a screaming Four out of the restaurant. “Five, go to the bathroom and dry your shirt off. I’ll ask for to-go containers for your dessert, along with Two’s.”

“Oh? I think I make a wet t-shirt look pretty good, though.”

“Please… just do it so we can leave.”

“Fine, fine. Maybe I’ll make Four buy me some more dessert after this.”

Once Five was out of sight, One let a out a sigh. Dito was still sitting in the same spot and more confused than before.

“Um… What exactly just happened?”

“When Four is at her limits, she can lose her temper explosively. Thankfully she didn’t break any plates this time.”

“Uh, okay… and who was the person that showed up?”

“That was Zero. A few days ago Four said we should attempt to invite her so we visited her at work. I believe you heard the rest of the story.”

“You have one messed up family. Besides, how are you gonna pay for all this?”

“I have the funds. Although, paying Zero may prove to be a hassle.”

After hearing this, an idea popped into Dito’s head. “Don’t even worry about that. I got it covered.”

“What?”

“You heard me! I’ll pay Zero. Just tell me where her work is and it’ll get done.”

“You don’t need to do that, it has nothing to do with you.”

“Hey, you’re paying for my meal. And you can get Five off my back if you let me go before she comes out of the bathroom.”

“So you wanted to use this as an opportunity to leave without Five. Fine, you can go after I text you her address. Give me your phone number.”

Once given the green light from One, Dito ran as fast as he could for the door. _What a freak show! They were at each other’s throats! I kinda wish Four did try to rip off Three’s skin. Would’ve made the situation even better to watch!_ After he entered the address of Zero’s work into the GPS, he started up the car and begun his departure. But as he saw Cent next to Two comforting a crying Four, he rolled down his window. “Hey! Cent!” When Cent responded by looking up, Dito flipped him off and rolled the window back up. He heard an “Oh c’mon!” being shouted from outside the car.

Leaving the parking lot was the start of his two hour commute to Zero. All he knew was that she worked at a floral shop downtown he had never been to before. He had no idea how pleasant the experience would be, but getting away from the woman of his nightmares was already a good start.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Instead of how you first meet Four in the beginning of the game, I wanted to show off her other side that you see in her DLC and novella.  
> This is my first fic so any kind of feedback would be really appreciated ;v; If there's any mistakes please tell me so I can fix it!  
> I'm dealing with my semester finals so I'm not sure when I'll get to finish the second chapter but I'm working on it.


	2. Hidden Garden

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dito properly meets Zero at her work, along with another person in her life.

His car windows reflected lights from neon signs within the city. Dito had been sitting in heavy traffic costing him an extra 30 minutes, much to his annoyance. Sidewalks and stores were packed with people; everywhere in the city was full of life. It was not until he arrived at his destination that the crowd’s numbers seemed to die down. This street was quieter than the rest with more odd shops that sell items ranging from antiques to taxidermy. Near the beginning of the block was Dito’s goal: the floral shop, Hidden Garden.

The front was painted white and decorated with hanging baskets carrying different types of flowers. Black awnings above the store provided cover for the plants displayed outside. Inside the walls were painted a light shade of pink while the tiled floor was a white similar to the paint that covered the outside of the store. A wider variety of flowers and plants than outside were inside, offering more shades of green with various color schemes created by different colored petals. There seemed to be no customers from what Dito could see in the window, only the woman with white hair who appeared at lunch was inside. It was obvious her mind was not on her work; she was only preoccupied with tapping her fingers on the top of the counter while staring into space. But once Dito entered her idleness ended. 

“I’m guessing you’re Zero?” 

“And I’m guessing you’re going to buy a flower or get the fuck out?”

“No flowers for me, unless you got something poisonous that could kill someone. I think that would make a  _ really _ great present for Five!” He began laughing and smiling to himself imagining the situation. 

“Believe me, if we had those in stock I would have given them to all my sisters,” she stepped away from her position at the counter and began walking towards Dito. “Where’s One?” 

“She won’t be coming. I’ll be paying instead.” 

“Alright, then where’s my thirty-five dollars?”

A look of surprise came onto Dito’s face, “Thirty-five dollars?! Did she steal an entire bouquet?!”

“I’m not too fucking happy about it either. Every time I’m around them I either lose time, money, or both. Now can you hurry up and pay or get out so I can go kill my sisters?”

“Ugh… I only have a twenty on me. Just take it and I’ll pay the rest later,” he took the bill out of his wallet and placed it on the counter. “I’ll just stop by tomorrow and give it to you, yeah? I can stop by in the afternoon after classes around 5.”

“I have shit to do tomorrow, I’m only watching the shop for the morning.”

“Then where am I supposed to find you?”

“That’s not something you need to know,” her voice changed from a harsh tone to a softer one.

_ Really? Are all of these sisters annoying or weird in some way? _

“If you won’t tell me the only option left is to meet me somewhere at campus. It’s not too far from here actually. Hell, it’s a LOT closer than that shitty restaurant we had to go to. Thanks for making it fun over there, by the way,” he gave a smirk after his comment.

“Yeah, I’m sure it was entertaining,” Zero said with clear sarcasm in her voice. “Where the hell should I be going to meet you then?”

“There’s a café where I like to go sometimes, I’ll text you the address,” he held his hand out for her phone, which she gave reluctantly. After a quick two minutes he gave it back, “There! Now you have my number and I have yours.”

“So you’re Dito, huh?” 

“Yup! Try not to forget it,” he turned his back to her and begun to leave. “I’m gonna kill some time for traffic to die down. See you tomorrow, Z.”

Zero had no reply for his words, she simply watched him walk out the door. Dito peered back in the window before it became out of view and saw she was back to sitting on the counter. She looked much different from what he had seen so far; she was not fidgeting in her seat like when Dito first entered the shop. Her face looked as if she was deep in thought, contemplating an issue on her mind. Dito wondered if it had to do with their meeting tomorrow, but didn’t decide to delve into it. 

Instead he left to view the other shops the city offered. He rarely had a chance to leisurely go out because of studies. For the first time in a blue moon he could spend the rest of the day by himself. Five was not there to ruin his evening, she couldn’t track him down as easily as she usually can at the campus. He also didn’t have to hear sweet talk between Cent and Two which increased his enjoyment.

Even though he was glad to be away for once, he knew what he would have to deal with when he went home. Five wouldn’t leave him alone forever, and he knew she’d be angry at him for leaving her at lunch. It gave him anxiety that overtook any other emotion he felt earlier. He could feel it making his heart heavy, and soon he began to focus his thoughts from just Five to the people around him. 

_ Why do these people bother faking smiles for strangers they don’t know? I don’t understand them. They spend money to make themselves feel better, but it doesn’t change who they are. In the end, they’re all ugly inside. They just never show it. _

What he tried to escape from came back. While Five was not there with him, his hatred never left. Everywhere he looked he found something to pick at, making the situation worse and worse. Only when he felt physically disgusted by just being in the same presence as so many people he all saw as liars did he decide it was time to leave.

The night sky was already out by the time he had returned to his car. Crowds were lesser which allowed Dito to collect himself in a calmer manner. As he walked past Hidden Garden he took one last look inside through the window. It was now completely empty with Zero gone. The sight made the shop look like a true hidden garden within the city that no one had ever entered. When he stopped staring inside and was ready to get inside the car, his phone began to ring. At first he expected it to be Five pestering him but the caller ID showed One’s name. 

“Did you pay her back?”

“Yeah… about that… I was short on cash so I’m paying the rest later.”

“And she’s fine with that?” 

“Uh, yeah? Why wouldn’t she be?”

“Oh… it’s just… I half expected her to get violent with you.”

_ What the fuck is wrong with this family?  _ “I’m going to pay her tomorrow. I told her I could just drop by her work after school, but she got all weird and said she had stuff to do.”

“Ah… I suppose that makes sense seeing the responsibility she has. But that’s not important. Let me know when you pay her back fully.”

One had hung up before Dito could say anything else. He stared at his phone in annoyance, tempted to call her back and yell at her for making him do all of this for her. Ignoring his urge to do so he put the phone back in his pocket and grabbed the car keys. After everything that happened he was ready to drive home and fall asleep. It was a twenty minute ride back, but it felt like nothing compared to the other trips he had today. 

When he entered the apartment Cent was nowhere to be seen. It was likely he was still out with Two, even though it was late. His absence didn’t bother Dito though; the last thing he wanted to hear was Cent’s made up trivia time. 

After closing the door he immediately fell onto the couch. Sleepiness was luring him to rest right where he was, but he knew better than that. Every time he slept on the couch he was more likely to be rudely awakened by Cent. That combined with horrible neck and back pain made sleeping there not worth it. Despite his sluggish movement and tiredness Dito managed to find his way to the bed. He did not close his eyes immediately though, his first instinct was to look for one of his most valuable items. The search ended when a small panda bear plushie was found underneath a blanket. His personality may not have seemed to care about such things, but it gave him comfort. While it didn’t disappear completely, lingering feelings of uneasiness were relieved after holding onto his stuffed animal. His peaceful slumber was the perfect ending to such a hellish day.

* * *

His morning was uneventful. Cent had not come home which allowed Dito to get ready without any annoyance. On his way to classes there was no sight of Five. Not even towards the end of the school day did she pop up anywhere near him. The only concern on his mind was to meet Zero on time. It was unlikely there would be any problems; he had the needed sum of money and was on his way to the café they agreed to see each other at. Once he arrived at the entrance he decided to call Zero.

“Hey, just wanted to let you know I’m here.” 

“Great, I’m- DID YOU SERIOUSLY JUST SPILL JUICE EVERYWHERE?!”

A confused look came onto Dito’s face, “You having some issues there?” He could hear shouting from a different voice on Zero’s end of the line, but couldn’t make out who she was arguing with. 

“Don’t worry, it’s nothing. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

“That’s… good I guess?” He debated on asking about her situation but ultimately decided to leave it be. 

They hung up on each other after exchanging quick partings. Dito entered the  café and ordered a coffee to drink as time passed. Having a peaceful and warm atmosphere with little noise other than quiet conversations and background music made waiting more enjoyable. As Dito begun to look outside he noticed Zero walking towards the café. She was not alone though, a small boy with a bright smile was holding her hand. His hair was a similar shade of white to Zero’s and his eyes were the same rose tone as her’s. When they entered through the door the first one to speak was the boy.

“So, where’s your friend? Where is he?”

“He’s not my friend.”

“Why not? Why can’t you be friends?”

“Can you stop asking the same questions over and over again? I’m sick of it.”

“Come on, Zero! If you aren’t friends now why don’t you try to become friends with him?”

“Yeah, Z? Why can’t we be friends?” Dito had walked up to them to interrupt their conversation.

“Because you haven’t given me my money yet.” 

“Fiiiine. Here,” he grabbed the cash out of his pocket and held it out for her. “That’s all that you needed.”

Zero took the money and counted to make sure it the was proper amount. “Alright, thanks. Come on, let’s go.”

“You mind if I ask you who this is before you leave?” Dito pointed to the child clinging onto Zero’s leg.

“My name’s Mikhail! And this is Zero!”

“He already knows who I am, dummy.”

“And why exactly are you with this kid?”

“I just babysit him. Anything else you need to know before we go?”

“Last question, is this the juice spiller I heard on the phone?” 

“IT WAS AN ACCIDENT! I DIDN’T MEAN TO!” Mikhail’s smile disappeared as he shouted at Dito for bringing up his mistake.

Zero looked down at Mikhail with disappointment on her face, “WELL YOU STILL DID IT, AND NOW YOU’RE NOT HAVING JUICE IN MY CAR EVER AGAIN.”  

“You realize we shouldn’t be shouting in a café, right?” 

Ignoring Dito’s comment, Zero grabbed Mikhail’s hand and began walking to the door. “Alright, we got what we needed so let’s get going.” 

“Um… Zero?” Mikhail looked up to Zero, “Is it okay if we get a snack before going? I’m hungry.”

“You’re seriously asking me that now? You’re lucky I’m hungry too, otherwise I’d say no.”

“Yay! We can share it~!”

“Alright, you’ve been paid, so I’m gonna get out of here.” 

Mikhail waved goodbye to Dito as he left. Zero didn’t bother to even give him a glance as he walked out the door, all her attention was on what to buy for Mikhail and herself. 

When Dito had only taken a few steps out of the café he heard someone call out to him. 

“Dito! I found you!” 

_ Oh god. Please don’t be who I think it is.  _ When he turned to the direction of the voice calling him, he saw Five running towards him. 

“You didn’t think you could escape from me forever, did you?” She stopped smiling before continuing to talk to him. “Now don’t think I’m very happy with you taking off so suddenly.”

“I have a reason for that, I-”

“Don’t say anything more. I know you were kind enough to help my big sister, so I’ll let you off the hook… for now.” 

Dito rolled his eyes at the suggestive look she gave him. As much as he wanted to cuss her out, he knew that would only cause more problems. “I bet you’ll forget all about it with what I’m about to get you.”

“Oh?” Five was curious by his statement.

“I  _ was _ going to buy you a gift after you leaving you yesterday, but I can’t get you a surprise present if you’re around.”

“Well when you put it like that, I suppose I can let you go for a little more.”

“Great! Now hurry up and leave,” it was hard for him to contain his anger in the last sentence and spoke with a harsher tone.

“No need to be so forceful! I’ll find you later though,” she laughed and ran out of Dito’s sight. 

Now being tasked with another problem pertaining to Five, he let out an exasperated sigh. “What the hell am I supposed to do? I said that to get her off my back, now I actually have to waste money on her.” After talking to himself he realized that he had left his coffee inside.  _ I guess I should pick that up before deciding what to do.  _ He entered the café again and saw Zero with Mikhail sharing a bowl of soup. As he grabbed his coffee Mikhail had noticed him.

“Hey, Dito’s back!”

“I’m not back. I just left my coffee.”

“I saw you talking to Five, are you friends with her?”

“Friends with the woman of my nightmares? No thanks.”

“That’s a really mean thing to say about someone. I wanna know more about Zero’s sisters, but she won’t let me meet them.”

“You can see them when they’re in a coffin because the next time I plan to see any of them is at their funeral.” 

“I like Z’s idea. By the way, you know what I should get Five? I said I’d buy her something to get her off my back.”

“How the hell should I know?”

“Oh, maybe Dito can hang out with us and find something! I bet he can find a great gift at when we go to the store.” 

“Seriously? You want to bring this guy to the store with us?”

“You know I can hear you, right?” Dito gave Zero an upset look. “But… that might not be too bad of an idea.”

“What?” Zero stopped staring at Mikhail to look at Dito standing next to her. 

“Just hear me out. I help you out with babysitting, you help me get away from your sister from hell. Deal?”

“Yeah, deal!” 

“He was asking me, not you dummy,” she remained silent for a moment before giving an answer. “You’re an idiot if you think I’m going to allow you to help me babysit when I barely know you. But it’ll save me time if you do the shopping for me.”

“So you’re just going to make me do the work you don’t want to do? I guess you and Five really are related.”

“You should go with him Zero. I bet you’ll have fun looking for a gift together!”

“You really want to play matchmaker, huh? You know I’ll have to drop you off early if you don’t want to go shopping with me, because I’m not letting you go to the store with us.”

“I don’t mind! I don’t mind at all! Maybe sometime in the future we can go together. All three of us!”

Despite her harsh attitude, it was difficult for Zero to deny Mikhail’s request when he was so enthusiastic. “Fine. We’ll go to the store together, is that good enough for you?”

Mikhail began celebrating for being able to convince Zero. “Yay! Now you can make friends with Dito  _ and  _ do something nice for Five!”

“...I guess that’s one way to put it,” she stopped watching Mikhail drink more of the soup she bought to talk to Dito. “After I drop him off at Michael’s I’ll text you so we can go to the store.”

“You’re in charge, Z. Besides, I should probably get started on this paper due on Friday so I’ll head out now.”

“Whatever, just be ready to go by the time I text you.”

Dito scoffed at her cold words but didn’t bother to start an argument when he was ready to leave. After exchanging goodbyes he left the café while Mikhail and Zero stayed to finish their shared meal. Once outside Dito’s annoyance towards Zero had died down; while she might be aggressive she was giving him an opportunity to get Five off his back. His appreciation began showing when he began smiling to himself and walking back home faster to get ready for his excursion with Zero. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really sorry about not uploading in forever! I had written this in February but then I had my birthday and a lot of school stuff to deal with. Plus I felt really lazy about revising. But thank you to my big sis Abel (@elysiontower on twitter) for helping me revise a bit!  
> I'm not sure when I'll be writing my next chapter for this because I have SATs soon, but I do plan to write around the time finals are done for me. Thanks for reading my fic!


	3. Yellow Roses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zero takes Dito shopping, getting a surprising gift along the way.

As Dito walked back to his apartment his phone began to ring. Assuming it was Zero he picked it up without checking the caller ID.

“Aw, did you miss me already?”

“...I sincerely hope you have mistaken my number for Five’s.”

“Wh- One? As if I’d have her number unblocked! Hold on, why the hell are you calling me?!”

The girl let out a bit of laughter before answering his question. “Don’t act so surprised. I wanted to know if you paid Zero back or not yet.”

“I just paid her back a moment ago. You know, dealing with not two but three of you looney sisters is kind of exhausting.”

“Ignoring your snide comment… thank you for paying her back. If you need anything in return, just let me know.”

“Oh! Great timing for you to owe me a favor! Do you think you could kill Five for me? Or put her in an induced a coma for a few years?”

“Let me guess, you don’t want to give her the present you promised?”

“Ding ding ding! We have a winner! Wait, how do you even know about that?”

“She’s my little sister, of course she’d brag about getting a present from you to me. After she hung up I thought it would be a good decision to check in on Zero’s payment with you which led to our current conversation. And I’m sorry to say, but a grave doesn’t make a very good present.”

“Hey, you never know until you try.” He rolled his eyes before asking for real advice from One. “So what exactly should I get her? I’m seriously out of ideas.”

“Five favors material goods. A dress or some jewelry should be a fine gift.”

“Ugh, it’s like you're enabling her shitty wardrobe that's probably already got about 500 ugly dresses. Besides, doesn’t she already have enough tacky hoop earrings?”

“If you don’t want to buy her something she already has enough of, why not make her a dessert? You could even ask Two for help.”

“Yeah, so she can just tell me to remake it because it’s not sweet enough or something like that? I’ll pass.”

“I’ve already given you options, figure the rest on your own, Dito. If you’re done being snarky with me I’ll be going.”

“Wait! There actually is one thing I wanna ask.”

“Yes? What is it?”

“You said yesterday Z had some kind of ‘responsibility…’ Did you mean Mikhail?”

“So you’ve met him?”

“Yeah, what’s the deal with it? Z doesn’t seem like the babysitter type of person.”

“Yes, he is the responsibility I mentioned before. She takes care of him for Michael. She doesn’t have to do it, but she feels some sort of debt to him. I’m not going to give you anymore details on this, go ask her yourself if you want to know.”

“C’mon, you seriously can’t tell me more?” Just like their last phone call, One had hung up on Dito before he could pester her more. “Fine! Whatever! I’m back at my home already, I was gonna hang up anyways!”

He stormed in the door and was ready to fall on his couch before he saw it was already occupied. Cent was lying down with Two on top him, kissing her cheek then neck. The couple were too involved with each other to notice Dito had entered.

“You’re kidding me, right? You’re really going to do this right now?”

Two flinched then immediately turned to Dito with a look of embarrassment and shock on her face. “Dito! Hey!! Uh, sorry! I was going to make some food if you’d like a bite. You know, as an apology?”

“You can only make me creme brulee so many times as a way to say ‘Oh, sorry I had sex on your couch again!’ before it gets a little old!”

“Oh, come on. You love her creme brulee. You should be grateful to have walked in on us! It just means more free food made by Two for you.” Cent had a more nonchalant approach to the situation than his girlfriend.

“You know what? It doesn’t even matter. I’ll be out of here for a few hours anyways, so go ahead! Fuck on the couch all you want! Not like there’s a bed in here!”

“Oh please. We were just kissing. Besides, where do you plan on going, young man? Did you know that 2 out of 5 children who don’t tell their parents where they’re going go missing?”

“Thank you, Cent, for another bullshit fact you’re going to post on Facebook to trick middle aged soccer moms.”

“Oh, will you two just knock it off?” Two got off of the couch and her boyfriend to move into the kitchen. “But tell us, where are you headed? Wait, lemme guess! You’re gonna go get Five her present? She was gushing about you in the group chat earlier.”

“You know, I’m thinking Z had the right idea about trying to get kicked out of that chat. But yeah, something like that. I’m going shopping with Z to look for something for her.”

Two’s eyes widened with surprise at Dito saying he was going shopping with Zero. “You’re hanging out with Zero to find a present for Five? Don’t tell me you’re going to plot to murder us all with her!”

"Believe me, I thought about it. But sticking with that blonde bimbo or anyone else hasn’t gotten me anywhere. Might as well see if Z can help out, right?” Dito took his watch off of Two in the kitchen and began moving to his room.

Cent stood up and followed Dito, stopping then leaning on the doorway. “Why exactly are you doing this? I mean, I know you and her seem to have a similar disdain towards the world plus know some of the most horrific insults I have ever heard, but why are you trying to get close to her?”

Dito didn’t even bother to look at Cent as he put his school bag away. “You saw how she was at that lunch the other day. If I’m taking my chances with any of these sisters, it’s gonna be her.” He then took his jacket off and lied on his bed. “Besides, Z might just know how to get Five to leave me alone.”

“Ah-ha!” Cent snapped his fingers, “So you’re looking for someone else to solve all your problems, that’s it?”

His comment made Dito send a glare towards him. “Even if I am, so what?! It doesn’t even concern you!”

“Cent, just drop it for now.” Two decided to intervene and walked into the boys shared room. “We can just scold him like the proper parents we are after Zero stabs him or something.” Cent nodded his head in agreement while Two started to rummage through Dito’s clothes.

“Hey, what the hell are you doing?!”

“You don’t know what’ll happen, why not get out of your current outfit and put on something more fun? Gosh, you sure do own a _lot_ of black.”

“Ah, here’s an new fact for you! Did you know that dressing more provocatively on your third or fourth date rather than first increases your chances of keeping the other person more interested in you?”

“LITERALLY NOBODY KNOWS THAT! IT’S FAKE!” Dito got off his bed and smacked the shirt Two was holding out of her hands. “Listen, it’s not a date or anything like that! We’re going to buy a fucking 5 year old some mac and cheese, not go to prom!”

Cent grabbed the shirt off the ground and held it out for him and Two to properly inspect. Dito watched with a look of disgust at how they were trying to decide if it was nice enough to wear for his outing. Before he could yell more at the couple, his phone vibrated. A text from Zero showed up in his notifications.

_I’ll be there in 15. Don’t be late._

“Sorry to break it mom and dad, but Z’s gonna be here soon. I really don’t have time to fix my outfit.”

“Oh, don’t think you’re getting out of this so easily!” Two pouted before leaving the room to go back and work on a new recipe.

“You heard her. Next time we get the chance, prepared to be amazed by the style I choose for you!” Cent dramatically left the room before joining Two in the kitchen as her assistant.

Dito searched for his wallet once the pair had their eyes on each other instead of him. After finding it he placed it within his pants pocket and proceeded to leave. But as he passed his reflection in the mirror he questioned his choice in wardrobe. Wearing a light grey t-shirt with a visible loose thread and plain blue jeans, he wondered if it made him look somewhat like a slob. _Oh, to hell with it. I’d rather look like a lazy piece of shit than have Z yell at me for being late._

When he arrived down at the meeting place they agreed upon, Zero’s car could be seen only a block away. After parking she got out to find wherever Dito had been waiting for her. She was wearing the same thing from the café: a silver bomber jacket, black skinny jeans, and a white v-neck shirt. Dito felt more confident about his look than when he had originally left home.

Once Zero noticed Dito’s whereabouts she shouted at him, “Do me a favor and find a place to wait where I don’t have to go searching for your ass.”

Dito raised his eyebrows while making an expression of fake sorrow, “Oh, I’m so sorry. I’ll just go in the middle of street so you can run me over next time.”

“Don’t go giving me ideas.” The tone in her voice made her sound so serious that Dito felt a tinge of fright.

The car ride to the store was quieter than any he had with Five. Zero wasn’t one for much small talk and neither was Dito. He was relieved to not have to put up with excessive talking from the other person, especially when the conversation was about Five sharing more unnecessary information about herself or her gluttonous activities. Instead he felt a sense of tranquility in their shared silence. However, his enjoyment was cut short by his phone vibrating. Looking down he saw a text from Cent.

_Hey, how’s it going with Zero? If you don’t respond I’m just going to assume she killed you._

Rolling his eyes, Dito put down his phone to ignore Cent. His phone went off again which he paid little attention to until it vibrated a third time.

Zero side eyed him, “Really? Your phone’s driving me crazy, answer it or turn it off before I throw it out the window.”

“Ugh, feel free too. I’m pretty sure it’s just Cent being annoying.”

“Cent? You mean that dumbass who looks like a Hot Topic model?”

“Yup, except I don’t think he has enough talent to be a model.” He let out an exasperated sigh, checking his phone with expectations of Cent trying to provoke him. However, he saw an unknown number was also texting him as well.

_Hi Dito, I know you don’t have my number but it’s Two ! Me and Cent made this group chat to help you win Zero’s heart :) ♡_

Following Two’s message was _Cent changed the group name to “Dito Support Group.”_

Dito stared agape at his phone screen. He wasn’t sure if he felt anger, shock, surprisement, or all at the same time. Without thinking he began to write a full paragraph to the chat, telling them it was rude and cursing them out with vicious insults. But as he typed he felt foolish pouring all his feelings into such a stupid situation. Instead he deleted everything he wrote and simply texted back, _Fuck off and die._

He turned his phone off before banging his head on the dashboard. When he stopped and left his head to rest there, he told Zero “I don’t think I’d mind if you threw my phone out now.”

“Too bad we’re already here. Maybe we can buy a hammer and smash it.”

As Dito sat up he gave Zero sarcastic laughter. She mocked his laughing before taking a hand off the wheel to punch him in the shoulder, causing him yelp “Ow!”

After parking Zero grabbed a shopping cart and brought out a list. “We’re just getting snacks and dinner.”

“Okay, great. Where’s the ‘Things That Will Get Five Off My Ass’ list?”

“Write it yourself. And don’t even think about fucking around in the store over that stupid gift.”

“I won’t, she’s a pain but not worth having you publicly execute me in a grocery store.”

“Good, glad to see you’re catching on quickly. Now help me find wherever the fuck they keep gummy worms.”

“You got it, Z.”

Together they navigated the store with Zero pushing the cart and Dito putting the items in. Her attention was on the grocery list and he was complacent with her orders on which brands to grab off the shelves. He stayed quiet, simply doing as he was told. But he could feel an urge for them to talk about more instead of going down a list. As he turned around after grabbing a macaroni box he looked at Zero who had her eyes on the list still.

“Don’t you have any questions about me?”

“No,” she locked eyes with him, “not really.”

He dropped the box in the cart. “Why not? I’ve got a lot of questions about you.”

“Such as?”

“Like, why are you taking care of this kid? And why do you work at the flower shop? Who the hell is Michael?”

“Shut up, you’ll give me headache…” She started to walk down to the next aisle without him.

Dito looked around, thinking _Is she really going to be like that?_ As he caught up with her he pressed her more. “Don’t brush me off like that, Z. I mean, if you’re gonna have me be your errand boy we might as well get to know each other.”

“Well I’m not telling you shit about myself.” She took a sharp turn down the soup aisle, “Grab some chicken and stars.”

He stared at her for a minute and took a deep breath before walking over to retrieve the can. After placing it in the cart he picked the conversation back up. “Fine, don’t tell me about myself. Why don’t I tell you about me? Like, don’t you wanna know my favorite things? What I like to do? My major?”

“Ugh…” She tilted her head, “Fine. What’s your major?”

“I’m a film major.”

“What? Shouldn’t you be a beanie wearing douchebag? I mean, you do have the douchebag part down though.”

“Haha, very funny.” They continued walking through the store to finish their grocery quest, “But yeah, I want to make movies. Mainly horror, but that shouldn’t surprise you. One of my life goals is to have Five die in a film of mine, a perfect moment I could watch over and over!”

“Uh, yeah… Hand me the kale.”

“Ew, you like kale? But really, I want to make movies that scare people. I’ll probably do more than just horror of course, but that’s where my mind is focused on.”

“What the hell is wrong with kale?” She snatched it out of his hand and put it in the cart herself. “I don’t really watch movies, and I sure as hell wouldn’t watch one with my sister in it.”

“Okay, but think about this! You get to see her scream in pain as many times as you want. And it could be the bloodiest death you can imagine, just as long as I could get the scene done. Also, wouldn’t it be hilarious if she just so happen to get into a ‘stage accident’ that was nearly as bloody as her on screen death?”

“You make some points. Isn’t that more of a slasher?”

“Hey, I’m the one paying out of my ass to get a degree. ...But putting her in a slasher film might be just as good.”

“Whatever, enough about this. We’ve got everything we need, let’s pay and get out of here.”

“You don’t have anymore questions?”

“I don’t really care.”

“Tch…” Her lack of interest stung him. He was tempted to push her into talking about films more and talk about her own career. Instead Dito decided to take the meaner route and tease her. “So are you gonna make me pay $50 for this too?”

“Hey! I didn’t make you pay that much, so stop whining.”

“I’m not whining! Just making sure I don’t have to kill my wallet every time we see each other.”

“Keep acting like a little bitch and it’ll be more than your wallet that gets killed.”

“You know, you’re really easy to get a rise out of. It’s kinda cute.”

Even though he was taunting her, he truly did find something charming about her. Zero was someone unwilling to put up with anyone’s antics; it made her resilient against words that would make most people not want to leave their house for days. He liked her cruel attitude and foul mouth that fit well with his harsh words and cold nature.

At the checkout they went back to exchanging little to no words. Lucky for Dito, all the money came out of Zero’s pocket to pay for the groceries. He helped load the bags into the car, offering to carry them for her when they stop at her place.

“Oh, we’re not going there right now.”

“Uh, what? Don’t tell me you’re one of those weirdos who goes to 50 different stores to get the best deal.”

“Nope. I just have to pick up something at work, then I’ll drop you off at home. It’d be pointless to go back and forth from my house to yours.”

“But I _still_ don’t even have my present for Five…”

“Don’t worry about that, you’ll get it when you get it.”

“Gee, aren’t you helpful as ever.”

She rolled her eyes at his remark, starting up the engine and ignoring him. Dito thought about turning his phone back on only to realize it would agitate him more. While he was mad at no present in possession, he was more upset about her evasion towards getting to know each other. In no way was Dito one to hold hands or get out of his way to befriend others. But Zero shut him down so callously; it left a bitter aftertaste in his mouth. He spent the car ride looking out the window, unsure if he wanted the silence between them to end. Hidden Garden was in sight, signaling that their time together was nearly over.

“Wait here, I’ll be out in a minute.” He didn’t give a reply nor look at her get out the car, instead he kept staring out the window. Through the window he watched her walk up to the store, getting her key out to open the shop. Once she was in he stopped paying attention to her and aimlessly eyed other shops in the area. There were some that he thought about getting out of the car and looking for the gift he needed, but he knew none of them would carry anything to meet Five’s extravagant standards. Tired of the frustrations, he turned his gaze up towards the sky to stop thinking about anything all together. No Five, no Zero, no anything. But his quiet moment was over when Zero opened the door.

Dito was surprised at what she had in her hands—a bouquet of yellow roses. All of his attention was back on Zero, puzzled at why she needed to pick it up. When she came back in the car he was no longer leaning on the window, he turned around to face her.

“Here,” she gestured for him to take the bouquet, “consider us even.”

He became more confused, looking down at the flowers and then back up at Zero, who raised her eyebrows at him. “Uh, what?”

“Take the fucking roses before I shove them down your throat.”

“Uh, okay, but why are you giving me these?” He finally took them from Zero’s hands.

“You needed a gift for Five, so I got you one. And now you can shut the hell up about having to pay me.” She began to start the car, the engine revving up as Dito sat properly to avoid damaging the flowers.

“Yellow roses, huh? That’s clever. I’m not really sure if it’ll meet her expectations, but I can just spout some bullshit about how it’s ‘A beautiful color akin to her hair!’”

Zero pulled out of the parking lot before replying, “Really? You think I chose these because she’s blonde?”

“I mean, what else is there to it?”

“My job involves me making special bouquets, you don’t think I know at least a little flower language?”

“Oh, yeah, I guess that makes sense. Shouldn’t roses mean something romantic though? Because I really, _really_ don’t wanna pull in any romance with her.”

“No, you idiot. That’s red roses.”

“There’s a difference?”

“Yes, there is. You give red roses to people you love, and yellow to people you hate.”

“What? Really?” He inspected the bouquet, “Who would’ve known flowers could be so harsh. I love it!”

“They can also be used for friendship, but I’m sure you’d appreciate the other meaning a lot more.”

“Either way, it’s perfect. I’m sure she’ll be too stupid to realize what it means even if I tell her though.”

“So your problem’s solved, right?”

“Yup! Thanks, Z. If she pricks her finger on a thorn I’ll be sure to take a video and send it to you.”

“You do that.”

“You know I… I really do mean it when I say thanks. This thing has been eating me alive, it got so bad I felt like I was gonna snap in the car earlier. I feel like I can breathe again without having this on my back.”

“You’re welcome… But don’t make me give you a freebie bouquet again. I had to pay for it with my own money.”

“Aw, do you finally know how I felt the other day taking care of your sister’s debt?”

“I’m going to kick you out of this car and then run you over while you cross the street.”

He laughed at her, “Chill out! Just know I really do appreciate it.”

“I get it, I get it. We’re already here though.” She brought the car to a stop, “Get out of my fucking car.”

Dito set the flowers down to unbuckle his seatbelt. “Don’t be eager to floor it when you see me crossing. You’ve already threatened to run me over twice!”

“Trust me, there won’t be a third time. I’ll just do it without saying anything.”

Picking the flowers back up and opening the door, he told her “I’ll see ya later, Z.”

He gave her a soft smile, which Zero returned but with a more smug expression. “Don’t count on it.”

After closing the door he let out a chuckle, watching her drive off before walking home. Even if his annoying roommate would be waiting for him, he knew his day ended better than it started.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I originally had Dito and Cent's apartment as a dorm but I changed it in the middle accidentally  
> Also I didn't update because of really bad writing block but I'm back


	4. Late Night Texting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sick of waiting for Zero to talk to him, Dito decides to get her attention in the middle of the night.

Arriving home Dito found Cent and Two on the couch with his arm around her shoulders. Cent scolded Dito for not checking his texts while Two told him that she left dinner in the fridge. Dito disregarded them and headed to his room to write a note for Five. He started it off with what he had told Zero before; that the flowers were the same gorgeous shade as her hair. But it frustrated him to say something that wasn’t true, especially when Zero had gone out of her way to find the perfect way to convey his true feelings. He crumpled the paper and threw it on the ground, aggressively grabbing another sheet. He spent a moment pondering on the best way to phrase what he thought about her — the woman he hated more than anyone else in the world. He decided the most eloquent way to tell her was with one sentence: “These flowers show exactly how I feel about you.”

The next day he dropped the bouquet on Five’s doorstep, debating on knocking on the door or not in hopes to avoid her reaction. Unfortunately if he evaded her now it meant she would hunt him down to give him her warped version of praise. Reluctantly he knocked, hoping to get interaction with her over as soon as possible. When she answered her face lit up while his filled with dread.

“Dito!” She looked down at the bouquet in his hands, “What’s this?”

“Your gift.” He made her take the flowers, “I really gotta go do something so I can’t stay. I just wanna let you know I hope that those thorns prick your finger so bad you have to go to the hospital.”

“Oh, how sweet of you. Why don’t I grab my jacket and I’ll head off with you?”

“Nope, sorry!” Dito ran off as fast as he could, not looking back. 

“Oh, I’ll find you later!” Five called out after him. 

He managed to lay low for the rest of the day, not having to put up with Five. He no longer had a debt to pay to any of the sisters, making his schedule less crowded. While he knew Zero had told him not to expect much, he checked his phone to see if she had a new assignment for him. He thought it might even be more enjoyable than last time without the drama of worrying about Five. 

Rarely did he initiate conversations and the majority of time he only texted Cent. Plus most of their conversations ended quickly with Dito leaving him on read. He decided to wait for Zero to message him, hoping she’d give him something to do soon. But days went by and there was only radio silence on her end. 

Lying on his back in bed with his eyes on the ceiling late at night, he contemplated what to do. Social interaction was never his strong suit, as most people were too afraid to talk to him and he usually put people off with his cruel words. Holding his stuffed panda bear in one arm, he grabbed his phone with his free hand. He scrolled pass all his contacts until he landed on Zero’s name. At first, he wanted to send a detailed text asking what was going on. Then he deleted it, trying to come out with a more playful greeting. And again he deleted what he typed, writing out alternative openers that might impress her. Eventually he caved in, simply sending  _ Hey _ .

After a few minutes he got a reply,  _ It’s midnight. What do you want? _

While they were screens away, Dito rolled his eyes at her harshness.  _ If you don’t want to talk at midnight, why did you reply? _

Dito stared at his screen, awaiting for the three dots to turn into a full message.  _ Because you fucking texted me. Now what do you want? _

_ I just wanted to know what we’re doing next.  _

_ What the fuck are you talking about? _

Dito turned on his side to type with both thumbs, leaving his plushie behind.  _ You know, baby sitting or whatever? _

_ Oh. That. _

He wasn’t sure what to say to her. It was like she had completely disregarded his existence.  _ Um… yeah. That. _

She took her time to type out a reply, leaving him more on edge.  _ You want to know why I’m up at goddamn midnight? Because this fucking kid’s school has some screwed up event and I have to bake brownies for a bunch of shithead kids I don’t like. I stayed up to make sure the brownies were made properly and I don’t even have sprinkles or whatever to put on them.  _

Dito stifled a laugh to make sure he wouldn’t wake up his roommate.  _ Let me guess, a bake sale? Do you even really need sprinkles? _

_ Yes it’s a bake sale. And I do if I want to show off to all those asshole parents who piss me off. _

_ Someone’s competitive…  _

_ Fuck off. _

_ Don’t worry Z. I’ve got tons of sprinkles at my place. I’ll come over tomorrow and drop it off.  _

_ You don’t have to. I can just drop by the store tomorrow.  _

_ You’re clearly stressed, just let me do this! I can even give you a neck massage after the sale. _

_ Fine. Don’t think I’m letting your hands anywhere near my neck though. _

_ See ya tomorrow Z.  _

_ Really? Who types out “ya” while texting? Goodnight. _

_ Uh, I do? But goodnight. _

After putting his phone on the charger he reunited his panda bear within both his arms. He fell asleep in the same position he started, lying on his back with his face towards the ceiling. 

* * *

Two was always creating new concoctions in the kitchen, one of her favorite hobbies was cooking and she loved using it to make others happy. Even if he didn’t show it on his face, Two knew Dito loved her dishes and was always willing to make food at his and Cent’s place. Being over so often led to their cabinets being filled with everything she needed to perfect any meal. Dito wasn’t sure what he should take exactly, so he grabbed random items and packed them all into his bag. Once Zero sent him her address he moved to his car and left.

The house was ordinary, nor was it painted any extreme colors. It was a simple white exterior and a grey roof. Dito walked up to the door and knocked, expecting there to be chaos waiting inside. All to his surprise Zero opened the door without a little boy crying or screaming.

“Come in.” 

After he stepped inside she closed the door behind him. He looked around, noticing nothing strange about the place. The only notable observation was the second floor, which was likely going to be off limits for today. Zero led him to the kitchen, which had a counter with two large trays of plain brownies on top. Dito dumped the contents of his bag next to them.

“Jesus Christ,” Zero looked down at the new mess on her counter, “I said to get sprinkles. Not loot the whole baking aisle at the store.”

“Lucky for us Two has a ton of weird crap lying around my kitchen so I just took whatever.”

“Just hand me the sprinkles.”

“You gotta put the frosting on first.”

“What?”

“The frosting,” he picked up a tube of pink frosting, “put it on first so the sprinkles stick.”

“How do you even know this?”

“Two’s basically my third roommate at this point, just trust me.” 

She took the frosting out of his hand and went to decorating. After creating five pink rhombuses she gave Dito instructions. “Hand me the darker pink one.”

He questioned her after handing the other tube of frosting, “What are you doing?”

Putting a small dot in the middle and connecting the rhombuses, she then faced away from the brownies to look at Dito. “I made a flower.”

He examined it before responding, “Not bad, Z. Where do we put the sprinkles though?”

“Fuck the sprinkles, let’s just get the flowers done.” 

“I went through all that looting to get you these sprinkles. You’re breaking my heart.”

“Shut up,” she squeezed some of the icing onto her finger then wiped it on his cheeks and nose.

“Hey!” He cleaned it off fast, “I don’t know what that was for, but I’ll get you back somehow.”

“How? You probably need a ladder to reach my face.”

“Don’t think your height will keep your face frosting free forever.”

“Just help me get this done, I’ll do the petals and you do the middle.” 

“You got it boss.”

Neither of them were laughing, but they enjoyed each other’s company while decorating. Fifteen minutes passed to get the first tray done, with them only taking a break for Zero to put saran wrap over it. Once it was sealed they moved onto the next tray, taking about the same time as the first to frost and wrap up. With both trays ready, Dito carried them while Zero started the car. After he loaded the cupcakes in the back Dito sat in the passenger seat with Zero taking off as soon as he buckled his seatbelt. 

“How many do you think you’ll sell?”

“More than the assholes I hate hopefully.”

“So, PTA moms?”

“PTA moms.”

“I don’t know Z. They’re pretty tough competition.”

“Tough competition is my foot versus their ass.” 

He laughed at her bitter comment, “I guess we’ll floor them with our mediocre flowers.”

“First of all, they aren’t mediocre. Second of all, they’re  _ my _ damn flowers.”

“I gave you the frosting and even helped with putting it on!”

“You took that frosting from Two and I made the brownies.”

“Oh please, it’s called borrowing. And I still helped with it!”

“Alright! They’re our flowers. You happy?”

“Honestly? Yes.”  

“Well I won’t be if we don’t sell any of these.”

“Don’t worry, if we don’t knock them dead at the bake sale we can follow them home to get the job done.”

Zero chuckled at his morbid joke, making Dito smirk and took a glance at her. When he brought his eyes back to the road a school was already in view. The parking lot was crowded, giving Zero a difficult time. When a man was standing in the middle of the road doing nothing, she finally lost her temper and snapped.

“MOVE YOU DUMB FUCK!” Dito stifled his laugh but the man flipped her off, making Zero more angry. “YEAH, KEEP FLIPPING ME OFF WHILE YOU CAN BECAUSE IT’LL BE PRETTY HARD AFTER I BREAK YOUR FUCKING FINGERS!” Dito couldn’t contain his laughter anymore, getting the side eye from Zero. “Was that funny to you?” 

“It was fucking hilarious.” 

She sighed and began pretending that never happened. “I found a parking spot, once we’re out you carry the brownies and I’ll sign us in.” 

A quick affirmation from Dito and Zero parked the car. He did as told, grabbing the brownies and following Zero to the school. Once inside she told him to wait, going into the office and coming out with name tags for the two of them. 

“We’re going near Mikhail’s classroom, it’s on the left.”

“You know, I can’t really put on a name tag when I’m holding these trays.”

“Ugh,” she peeled it off and put it on his chest for him. “There. Stop whining and walk.”

“Thanks, Z. I’m still going to have to get you back for the frosting incident though.”

“You know what? Just stop talking.” 

Together they moved towards the classroom with a comfortable silence between them. In the hallways there were tables for people to place their baked goods, and Dito put the brownies down as soon as he could. He shook his arms to feel better, making Zero roll her eyes at him. Dito noticed and gave her an upset look; Zero stared back at him and raised her eyebrows. Surprise came to both of their faces when they heard a little boy shout their names.

“Zero! Dito!” Mikhail ran towards them. 

Dito teased the child, “I thought running wasn’t allowed in the halls… Am I going to have to report you to the principle?” 

“No! I’m not doing anything wrong! Besides, the principal is really scared of Zero. I don’t think he’d want to see me or her.”

“I’d ask why, but I’m guessing that’s a story for another day.”

“The story is that everyone’s scared of me.”

“So basically you cussed him out or threatened him?”

“...Both.”

“That’s so you, Z.”

Mikhail began asking questions, “Where’re the brownies? Can I have one?”

“You got four dollars to buy one?”

“Can I borrow money to get it Zero? Can I?”

“No.” 

“Aw, c’mon!”

“There’ll be plenty of brownies left over, dummy.”

“Oh! Right. Hehe, you’re so smart Zero. Can we buy some of the other parents’ stuff?”

“Fine,” she took out a ten dollar bill and handed it to him. “Go start looking and I’ll catch up.”

“Thanks Zero! You’re the best of the best. The greatest!” 

“Okay, okay! Just shut up and get going.” 

Zero watched Mikhail trotting off until she knew where he was going. She then focused on taking the saran wrap off of the trays. After she removed them she turned to Dito. “I’m gonna throw these away and catch up with the idiot. You mind watching the stand while I’m gone?”

“I don’t really have a choice, but sure. You can count on me to hold the fort down.”

“Thanks, I’ll be back. Don’t steal any brownies.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t dare even touch one.”

While Zero was gone many parents asked Dito who he was — most even asked if he was someone else’s big brother. His answer to all of them was that he was a family friend. But it made him wonder what he really was with Zero. An acquaintance? A friend? Their relationship felt strange; the type of strange where he couldn’t pinpoint why either of them stayed around each other. But it wasn’t a thought he dwelled on, at least not one he wanted to at a bake sale for an elementary school. 

By the time Zero came back a fourth of the brownies had been sold. One of her hands was holding Mikhail’s while the other had a frosted blue cupcake. “Nice work. Want one?” She held the cupcake towards him.

“Sure,” he got up from his seat and took it from Zero. “Hold on, I think there’s a bug in it…”

“What? Where?” She let go of Mikhail and walked over to look in the frosting.

When her face was close enough, Dito shoved the cupcake in her face. With blue frosting caked all over her, Dito laughed at her. “Oh man! This is beautiful! Hold on, I gotta get a pic so I can make it my new wallpaper.”

“What… the FUCK is wrong with you?!”

He pulled out his phone and begun taking pictures, “Don’t tell me you don’t realize this is payback for earlier.”

“Asshole,” she wiped some of the frosting on her face and got it on his phone’s camera lens. 

“Too late! I already got a pic. I’m making it my homescreen right now.”

“No, you’re not!” She reached for his phone but failed.

“And done!” He showed off his new home screen to Zero, adding fuel to the fire. 

“Fuck you,” she wiped more of the icing onto her hand, but this time she started smearing it on Dito. 

“Hey! Knock it off,” he attempted to transfer the frosting back to Zero by cleaning it off him and putting it back on her. 

“You started this shit!” She continued to attack him with frosting. 

“Uh, no, this started when you got frosting on my face!” He retaliated by putting the icing back on her.

“That wasn’t all over your goddamn face!”

“Who cares! All that matters is now you’ve got frosting everywhere now!”

“I care, you dick!” She grabbed a brownie and shoved it in his face.

There was a pause before he spoke again, “You know, it’s actually pretty good.” 

“You’re paying for it,” she put more frosting from the cupcake on him. 

“Like hell I am,” he put some of the pink frosting on her nose, creating a cotton candy color scheme. 

Their icing battle continued for several minutes, even after Dito finally agreed to pay. The only reason they didn’t continue for hours was because one of the parents intervened. While cleaning off their faces with a napkin Zero noticed a spot Dito missed; she wiped it off then brushed his hair behind his ear. She went back to casually cleaning herself up as Dito took a moment to realize what had just happened. 

At first his reaction was a genuine smile, but then he was confused why she did that. Was it a habit she picked up from cleaning Mikhail’s messy face? Did she do it because she cared about him? Could it be both? 

Whatever reason she did it for, he had to snap out of it and focus on what was in front of him. A bake sale wasn’t the place for daydreaming of the possibilities, and there was no way he would ask her outright. At least not around other people. 

When the sale was over the first tray had sold out, leaving the second tray half way filled with leftovers. The car ride back mostly involved Zero yelling at Mikhail for eating brownies and getting crumbs on the seats while Dito laughed at their bickering. Once they arrived at Zero’s Dito took care of getting the trays and leftovers out of the car while she focused on Mikhail. After they all were inside the house Dito went to the kitchen to put the trays down. There he waited for Zero to finish taking care of Mikhail, overhearing her talk to him.

“Okay, I’m going to make us dinner. Don’t start running around and breaking shit because you’ve got sugar rush from brownies and cupcakes.” 

“I won’t! I promise I won’t.”

She sighed and walked to the kitchen; once she noticed Dito she said “Oh, you’re still here.”

“Of course I am. You think I’d take off without saying bye?”

“Maybe.” She walked over to the cupboards, “Anyways, I have to cook this kid some real food. Need anything before you go?”

“Uh, yeah, actually. I have a question…” He brought his hand near the side of his face where Zero wiped the frosting off, “Why did you do that? Getting that frosting off my face, I mean.”

“Because you’re an idiot who doesn’t know how to clean up after yourself.”

“Haha, real hilarious Z.” He rolled his eyes, “Doesn’t explain why you pushed my hair back though.”

“Huh?” She turned around with an annoyed expression, “I did it because your hair’s messy. What about it?”

“Really? That’s a little suspicious. Besides, my hair’s not messy.”

“It was worse than Mikhail’s bedhead.”

“Shut up, it’s not.” He began to walk away from the kitchen, “Well, whatever. You can call me when you’re ready to admit you’ve fallen for my good looks and hair. I’m heading home.”

“Don’t expect any calls like that from me. I won’t do that to your hair anymore either, so don’t bitch about it again.”

“Whatever, I’ll see you later Z. Feel free to confess your undying love for me anytime.”

“Go to hell.”

He gave a wave before heading out the door. Even though he didn’t say it, he actually didn’t mind if she played with his hair again. But that wasn’t something he’d admit — at least not now.  

* * *

It was nighttime again. Lying in bed on his back while staring at the ceiling with his panda plush in his arms, Dito was thinking about the day. He thought about decorating the brownies, the frosting fight, and Zero’s reaction to his question.  _ I guess I was right about her doing it out of habit because of Mikhail _ , he thought to himself.  _ But… you wouldn’t do that with someone you hate, right? Maybe we’re friends but she doesn’t want to admit it? _

He turned to his side, sick of asking all these questions to himself. While he was on good terms with Cent and Two, trying to make friends with someone he didn’t hate completely was new to him.  _ She’s definitely crazy and has a bad attitude, but I don’t want to stop seeing her.  _ These feelings were foreign from anything else he had felt, there wasn’t a clear explanation what drove him to want to be with her —but he knew to find out he’d have to see her again. 

_ I’ll just text her now, no point in waiting on her.  _ Dito grabbed his phone off the nightstand and pulled up his conversation with Zero. Instead of spending time thinking of a witty opener, he sent her the photo he took of her covered in frosting.

_ Just so you know, this is still my background. _

She responded,  _ I’m REALLY going to break your fucking phone next time I see you. _

Dito smirked and let out a small laugh,  _ Nice try but I’ll set it as my laptop’s background for insurance. _

_ I’d love to tell you how I’m going to dispose of your body but I’ll just have to dream about ways to kill you tonight. Goodnight. _

It was disappointing to him that their conversation couldn’t last longer, but just this much gave him assurance that their time together wouldn’t end yet.  _ Goodnight Z. Don’t hold out on the gory details.  _ He set his phone back down, drifting to sleep as he thought of what he’d talk about with her next time. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has been my first fic and I've learned a lot. Something I'm going to try to work on is updating more consistently; I'll be trying to write two chapters at a time so that way I'm not struggling to finish writing on time. The next chapter may come out late but hopefully that will be the last time, thanks so much for reading my fic!


	5. Doll House

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dito visits Three and learns some unexpected things about the sister.

There was no daily morning routine in Dito’s life but it typically consisted of eating, going to the bathroom, and changing his clothes. Today when he woke up the first thing he did was text Zero. After sending _Good morning_ he waited five minutes before getting up.

He went to the kitchen where he made himself cereal, not wanting to make the effort of grabbing leftovers from Two's dinner last night. Once he finished breakfast he moved to the bathroom to brush his teeth and take a shower. While his early activities varied from day to day, scalding hot showers were the only consistent thing in his mornings. Sometimes he may forget to eat breakfast, comb his hair, or brush his teeth, but he always made sure to take a hot shower. One time Cent told him hot showers could dry out his skin and might be bad for him, but Dito shrugged it off. And while he didn't say it out loud he thought to himself, _Hot showers are the one of the only things in my life I actually like... I'm not letting some idiot take it away from me._

He spent a good amount of time in the shower, soaking in the warmth as long as possible. As much as he hated leaving, he knew he had to go out and face another day of life today. Whenever he turned off the faucet he waited a moment before opening the curtain, knowing colder temperatures would assault him as soon as he did. _Ugh... I really don't want to be a person today._ The feeling of leaving a warm shower was something he would always hate. He wrapped a towel around his waist and picked up his pajamas before going back to his bedroom.

Normally he would dry off and look for clothes right away, but instead he sat on his bed and grabbed his phone to see if Zero had messaged him. A smile was brought to his face once he saw her name in his notifications.

_Morning. Do you need something?_

Dito replied, _No, I just wanted to talk since you had to go to bed last night._

_There's not much to talk about._

_Oh c'mon! There is plenty._

_Like what?_

His mind drew a blank. He shouted in his head, _Goddammit, what the hell DO we talk about?!_ Putting down the phone and standing up, he finally dried himself off and quickly looked for clothes. While he was stalling for time to think of what to say, he didn't want to take forever. In a drawer he found a long sleeved black and dark grey striped shirt which he threw on with some black skinny jeans. _I guess Two was right about me owning a lot of black..._

By the time he was fully dressed and picked up his phone again, Zero had already texted him again. _See? Nothing._

His face scrunched up in annoyance, _I'll think of something! I just had to get dressed, okay?!_

_...You really thought texting me while naked was smart?_

"Oh for crying out loud..." He began typing quickly out of frustration, _I wasn't naked, I had a towel on! I just got out the shower._

Zero replied back, _A towel doesn't count._

_Uh, yes it does?_

_Nope._

_Alright, fine. I'm sorry for texting you while I had a towel on. I'm dressed now though. See?_ He posed in front of a mirror and took a photo of his outfit to show her. It took him a few tries to get just the perfect picture to send her, but he managed anyways.

She responded to his outfit with _Wow, very... alternative?_

It left Dito a little disappointed; while he didn't put much thought into his outfit he had hoped she'd give him a bit more. _Ouch, did you have to tell it to me like that Z?_ Although he was being sarcastic, he did want her to say something more thoughtful.

_I never said I hated it. I just don’t know what to say._ She sent another text, _I know I prefer it over a shitty towel._

_Aw, it's really cute to see you try to be nice for once Z._ While he did tease her attempt at being somewhat more friendly, he did feel better after reading her text.

_Shut up. I don't give people compliments or any shit like that, so don't expect it._

_Really though, I do appreciate you trying._

_Trying what?_

_To be... you know... Nice? Kind? Less aggressive??_ He noticed she was typing but stopped frequently, hinting she was struggling on what to text back. The wait was killing him, so he decided to send her another message. _I'm sorry if I was rude earlier... every morning I just dread dealing with life and people so I wake up in a bad mood. I had a lot of fun with you yesterday so I wanted to talk more._

It was anxiety inducing for Dito to wait on her reply, but once she did he felt relief. _I don't really like life much either. But unlike you I'm pissed off all the time instead of just the mornings. And if I hated your clothes I'd have told you they're ugly. I'm not used to telling people I don't hate something about them._

_Oh trust me, I'm usually in a bad mood. I just hate things a little less as the day goes on usually. I still think that's cute of you to try though._

_Whatever..._

_Hey, I guess I found something for us to talk about, right?_

_I guess you did._

Before Dito could continue texting Zero, he received a phone call. "Oh my god, what now?" Upon noticing it was One calling, he declined it immediately. He typed to tell Zero, _Your only somewhat sane sister is calling me._

_"Sane" isn't what I'd call any of them._

_Hold on, I'm going to text her. I'd rather not hear her voice this early in the morning._

_Have fun._

Moving from his conversation with Zero to find One in his contacts, he hesitantly began to type a message. _What do you want now?_

She replied quickly, _I only wanted to ask you a favor._

_Another one?!_

_It's Three. Usually I'll check on her every once in awhile but I'm away on business so I can't right now. She won't pick up her phone and none of our sisters are available or... well, very dependable in this situation._

_Basically all your sisters bailed on making sure that pain in the ass is alive?_

_...That's one way to put it._

_So I just go there and make sure she's breathing? What if she's dead?_

_Three is probably in a deep sleep, not actually dead. I just want you to go over and tell me how she is. If anything's wrong I'll handle it when I'm home._

_You didn't tell me what to do if she's dead... What do I even get out of this?_

_I'll compensate you however you prefer. The key is under her door mat._

_I didn't agree to go yet!_

_But you will. I've noticed you do what's asked of you rather easily. Now here's the address..._

Dito felt a sting of anger over her comment. He knew there was truth in it, but it wasn't something he liked to hear from other people. _Fine. I'll go now._

Not wanting to read anymore of One's messages, he copied the address into his GPS then went back to his conversation with Zero. _It wasn't fun at all._

_Ha, what else did you expect?_

_She wants me to visit Three. Why does she need to be babysat?_

_Because she's insane._

_All of you are._

_Well, Three more than the rest._

_She can't be worse than Five..._

_Just don't say I didn't warn you. Hell, you might even get along with her._

_That's concerning. But now I'm kinda curious. I'll tell you if she died in her sleep or not._

_If she's sleeping you should put a pillow over her and smother her._

_I'll definitely consider that._

* * *

The drive was not too far away, but the location itself was strange. Instead of regular house on the street like most of the other houses, Dito had to go through a driveway that led to an incredibly large yard—it almost felt like a forest. Her home looked like a witch's hut in a swamp, decorated with moss and cobwebs. Upon inspecting it Dito thought to himself, _Okay, what the fuck is this?_ He parked the car and walked up to the house. The wooden porch felt like it was closer to breaking with each step he took. Once he reached the door he lifted the mat to find the key. It was enclosed in a little plastic bag to protect it from dirt, but unfortunately the bag itself dirtied Dito's hands. "Ugh... I should've worn gloves."

He entered the home and was horrified at the sight. Every shelf was covered with dolls, all the furniture had a stuffed animal on it, and there were even similar toys on the ground. _I really should set standards on what I do for these women..._

Many of the dolls were also modified in some way. A few had dentures in their mouths and others had mismatching buttons for eyes. One seemed to have been cut into with scissors as well. There was not much that intimidated Dito, but the atmosphere was so unsettling it left him feeling uncomfortable.

It wasn't only the living room filled with dolls. The kitchen featured many porcelain figures of animals and children placed all over. Dito went to wash the dirt off his hands, but as he turned on the faucet he found a spider in the sink. It was as large as his eye, and struggling to move from the water that got on its legs. _Ugh, I'm almost tempted to mercy kill it._ Even though it was unsightly, the struggling spider didn't stop Dito from cleaning his hands. He dried his hands on his pants instead of looking for a towel, knowing it would most likely be in some unsavory place or covered in a mysterious substance.

Connected to the living room was a hallway with three rooms—two on the left and right with one at the end. The door on the left was opened, showing a messy bathroom. This was the only room not filled to the brim with dolls; it also seemed to be the cleanest Dito had seen so far. The trash can was filled with a noticeable amount of purple hair and there seemed to be a collection of scissors on the counter.

Done with inspecting the bathroom, Dito moved on to the right room. He opened the door and found Three asleep in her bed. As expected, there were dolls in this room too. Except it was clear this is where she modified all her dolls. Many were cut into, had some parts cut or torn off, and others were even sewn together. Dito felt off put by it but also intrigued. _This is so messed up.... I kind of like it though._

"Hey, you up?" He walked over to check on her then sat on the side of her bed. "Hello? Wake up," he poked her shoulder, but there was no response. After a few more pokes he tried to shake her awake, but all she did was turn on her side. "Okay, you're alive. I'm gonna leave this freaky place after texting One," he turned his back and brought out his phone. _Your sister's fine. The house is pretty disgusting, but other than that it seems fine._ One responded, _Thank you. When I'm back from my trip we can talk about repayment._

After putting his phone back in his pocket he got off the bed and left the room. Although he said he would leave, curiosity made him check the final room. He thought it would be another room with dolls, but upon entering he found something completely different.

The room was heated and had multiple class tanks; some had fish swimming in it while others had tropical habitats with various types of exotic pets.

"Do you like animals?"

"Huh?!" Dito turned around and saw Three standing behind him. "You were passed out just a second ago!"

"I sleep a lot, but I need be awake to take care of my children."

"By 'children' do you mean your dolls or your animals?"

"Both," she walked over to a storage container in the room, "Want to see me feed Raphael?"

"Who's Raphael?"

"Two's tarantula... her new apartment doesn't allow pets, so I'm taking care of him for now." She grabbed a cricket out of the container then placed it in the tarantula's tank. Dito walked to view the feeding with Three, watching the tarantula crawl out of its habit and take its food.

"I didn't think Two would have a tarantula."

"She's had him for a few years. He's quite a good eater too, as you can see."

"Oh yeah, speaking of spiders, there's one in your kitchen sink."

"That's not a surprise since I do have house spiders. Sometimes they'll even crawl into my dolls."

"Uh, IN your dolls?"

"When I cut them up they'll just crawl in. It's always fun to find them there. In fact, I'm thinking of a project to combine the two somehow."

"Wow! You really are insane. Z was right, I love it."

"Ah, Zero. How is she?"

"She asked me to smother you in your sleep, so the same as usual."

"Hm... I see," she yawned after giving her deadpan response. “By the way, who are you?”

“Dito, we met at that stupid lunch.”

“Oh… Don’t remember it.”

“How could you forget?! Zero showed up and was ready to kill you.”

“That sounds like most interactions I have with Zero.”

“Yeah, I guess that’s fair.” He changed the topic, "Hey, just out of morbid curiosity, where do you get your dolls?"

"Mostly thrift shops and my work."

"Where the hell do you work?"

"Build-A-Bear."

"Wh..." The answer shocked Dito, "You work at fucking... Build-A-Bear?"

"Yes, is that so strange?"

"Yeah, it is. Really, really strange."

"They have my favorite things, and I get an employee discount as well."

"Oh yeah?" He had an idea, "Hey, think you can save me some money if I go shopping there?"

"You like dolls as well?"

"Sort of. I actually have this panda... But I was thinking of getting something for Mikhail instead."

"Mikhail... Michael's grandson. I think I could help with the discount for you."

"Hold on," Dito turned to face Three, "Who is Michael exactly?"

"Zero's acquaintance. He gave Zero her job as well. I don't know much other than that."

"Finally, someone tells me something. Everyone else just avoids saying anything about Michael."

"That's because they're afraid of Zero. She doesn't like talking about him."

"Ha, I think you should be pretty scared of her too."

"I don't feel much towards her. She's just my sister, I feel the same for the rest of them."

"Whatever, just give me your number so I can tell you when I want to go to your work."

"Fine... Do you want to watch me feed the rest of my children before you go?"

"That sounds pretty cool, actually. Sure."

Three went to grab more feeder crickets from the bin, "I can't wait to show you Ezrael, he's one of my favorites."

"Yeah, yeah, I'll see after you give me your number. I don't trust you to put me in your contacts after I leave since you'll probably just pass out, so where's your phone?"

"It should be on my nightstand, but if you don't hurry you'll miss Ezrael's feeding!"

"Alright! I'll be back." He left to grab Three's phone and saw she had many messages, with the majority being from One. From the notification previews he could see she was telling her to pick up her phone and respond with an angry text in between. It made him laugh, but he went back on task with adding himself to her contacts. When he returned to the animal room she was feeding her lizard, Ezrael. He listened to her enthusiastically talk about each and every single one of her animals while feeding them before leaving.   
Once he was back in the car he decided to call Zero, "Hey, did you know your sister has a job at Build-A-Bear?"

"Nope. And I really don't care that she does."

"Well, I was thinking we could go and take advantage of her employee discount."

"Why would we do that?"

"You can get Mikhail something! Plus, maybe you'll find something you like."

"I don't need stuffed animals."

"You won't know until you go! C'mon, it'll be fun. Besides, you should use her discount after she stole from you. She practically owes you it."

"You just want to see me get angry at Three, don't you?"

"Maybe a little, but I do wanna go there with you."

"Alright, fine. Let's figure out a day to go."

"We'll have to make sure it's a day when Three's working, I'll figure it out later at home."

"It'll probably take her a week to get back to you."

"It can't be that bad... Can it? Anyways, I'll talk to you later, Z."

"Be happy if she responds in 3 days. Bye," Zero ended the call and Dito drove home, excited for their next trip.

* * *

Just as Zero predicted, it took Three days to respond. The wait was aggravating, but it didn't take long for Zero and Dito to find a time that worked after Three answered. They agreed to meet at Dito's house then drive to the mall where Build-A-Bear was.

Dito dressed himself in grey distressed jeans and a black t-shirt underneath a golden yellow jacket. When Zero arrived at the apartment she was wearing a simple white dress. Next to her was Mikhail, wearing black shorts and a white button up shirt.

"Wow Dito, this is where you live? It's so cool!" the small boy exclaimed.

"Eh, it's okay I guess. I'd like a little more room since that dumbass I live with takes up all the space."

"Stop yakking and let's get out of here before I run into my idiot sister. I'd prefer to deal with only one instead of two today."

"Fine, let's get going."

The three left the building and went into Zero's car. During the drive Mikhail babbled on how excited he was to go shopping with Dito and Zero, causing Zero to get annoyed. She told him to stop making it a big deal which made Dito want to tease her. But he knew it wasn't smart to provoke her while driving, so he refrained.   
In the store they found Three at the entrance. "Welcome to Build-A-Bear..." she yawned before continuing, "Ah, Zero."

"Oh, Three. Did you cut open any dolls today?"

"Ehehe... No, not yet."

"Still weird as ever. Let's just get something and go."

"Zero, look!" Mikhail called out to her, "It's a dragon!" He pointed towards a white and grey dragon plush.

She walked over to him, "It sure is. You want that?"

"Yeah! It's just like me, right Zero?"

"Uh huh. Go over to Three and then we'll buy it, alright?"

"Okay! Thanks Zero, and you too Dito! You're the best of the best."

Dito said to him, "Yeah yeah, just go and put a heart in the dragon or whatever."

"Okay! Thanks, Dito!" Mikhail ran over to Three to complete his doll.

"So he's a dragon kid."

"Yup," Zero responded. "He made up a whole story about him being a dragon. Sometimes he'll even draw himself as a dragon next to me."

"Oh yeah, I thought I noticed a drawing like that on your fridge."

"Is there a problem with that?"

"Nope! No problem at all. Just makes you look a little soft, I guess."

"I'm not soft." 

"Trust me, I know." Dito spotted a panda bear doll, "Hey, that looks kind of like my panda."

"You have a panda doll?"

"Yeah, I've had him for awhile. It's one of the only things that I don't hate or want to die."

"I never had any dolls or stuffed animals."

"Really? Why don't you just get one now?"

"Because I don't need it."

"Why not this one?" He pointed to a pink bear, "It's pink like your eyes."

"Even with a discount two of these things would be overpriced."

"Yeah, you're right. We could probably get something cheaper elsewhere."

"Or just save the money and not buy shit."

"I guess that works too. But, I’d still like to get you something like it one day."

Zero blushed at his offer, “I really don’t need it…”

“Just let me buy you the bear, Z.”

“Look, I-”

"Hey Zero!” Mikhail abruptly distracted the two from their conversation. “It's done, look at him!" He held his new dragon plush up.

"I see him, stop shouting at me! C'mon, let's pay for this." She turned to Dito, “And don’t bother wasting money on a stupid toy for me, okay?”

“Fine, I’ll hold out on getting it for now.”

“How about holding out on getting it forever?”

“You call it stupid, but I can tell you don’t hate it.”

“Fine, waste your fucking money! Let’s get to the damn register already.”

At the cash register Three talked to Dito before ringing up the stuffed animal, "Hello, Dito. Perhaps next time you visit me I can show you some of my poetry."

He replied "I'll get back to you on that one."

Zero got annoyed at the delay, "Stop talking and just give us your discount you batshit crazy freak."

"So violent..."

"If you don't hurry up I'll show you how violent I can get."

“Fine…” Three applied her discount, "That'll be..."

Zero paid and left the store as quickly as possible, "I can't stand being around her."

"She is a freak, but I kind of like it."

"Of course you would."

"Anyways, I think we should get you something here next time. Doesn’t have to be that bear."

"I already told you, it's expensive as shit here."

"I'll pay for it! We don't even have to go here."

"Why do you want to get me something I don't need?"

"I mean, my panda is really the only item I care about and you never had something like that... so I thought you might want one too." When Dito realized he let himself be vulnerable he tried to divert the conversation. “But, uh, maybe we could also get lunch or something at the food court here too. Yeah! I think I saw a pizza place there…”

"...Maybe I'll think about getting one. And I don’t want to spend $7 on a slice of pizza. "

Mikhail asked, "Are we going back to the store then?!"

"Not for awhile."

"Aww, why not?"

"Because even with a discount it costs more than all those shitty snacks I buy you."

Dito interjected, "And if we go back I'm getting something for Z, not you."

"Oh, can I help get her something? Can I?"

"Sure, you gonna take Z's car and drive me there too?"

"I sure will! Uh, wait... Zero, can I take your car?"

"No! You're not even old enough to drive. Stop giving him dumb ideas."

"Sorry, Z. I just couldn't help it."

"Oh, by the way, Accord will be watching you when I'm at work next week since it'll be busy."

"Who's Accord?" Dito asked.

"She babysits Mikhail sometimes for me."

"You could've asked me, you know."

"Like I'd trust you. Besides, I'll be swamped with work. I'll only call you if something fucks up and I need help."

"Aw, you'd call me to fix your problems? I'm honored."

"I'm counting on you."

"Don't worry, Z. I'll be there for you."

"Heh... Well, let's go home now. I don't want to be here anymore."

"Me either, I can't stand being around so many people."

Mikhail asked, "So can we come back later? I had fun, Zero! And with Dito too!"

Zero told him "I already said we aren’t coming here for awhile."

Dito added on "I’ll drive us up here next time, but if you aren't a good kid I’m not taking you with us. And that dragon will come to life to eat you if you are."

"Wh-no it won't! That's mean, Dito."

"I'm just saying, if you don't behave we won't come back."

"I'll be good! I promise I'll be my best so we can come back."

Zero said "I'm sure you will, now get in the car and let's leave."

After the ride back Zero dropped Dito off back to his home. When he got to his room he picked up his panda bear; while gazing at it he wondered what stuffed animal Zero might want the most. It may have seemed like a silly gift, but it was one he really considered getting for her in the future.


	6. Pink Roses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Valentine's Day and Dito's running from Five while Zero's being overworked. The two end up spending the holiday together, and Dito realizes why he's been acting strange towards Zero.

No matter where he went, Dito couldn’t escape Valentine’s Day. At home Two and Cent made a huge deal out of it and everywhere he went was having Valentine’s Day promotions. He never cared much for the holiday, but it was especially annoying with Five breathing down his neck to take her out to dinner. He was trying his hardest to worm his way out of doing anything with her, but as per usual she persisted as much as she could. If he told her that there were no available restaurants to make a reservation she would tell him they should eat at home. He considered saying Two and Cent would be staying home to celebrate so he couldn’t do it there, but they always go out and do something extravagant for Valentine’s Day. That and Five would only try to get him to come over to her house, which could bring more disastrous results. Calling on One to repay her debt and help save him was undoable since she was still on a business trip.

Even though he knew Zero would be busy because of people ordering roses for Valentine’s Day, she was the only one he trusted to go to for help right now. He wasn’t sure how she could help, but that wasn’t the only reason he wanted to see her. There was a part of him that wanted to make sure she was doing okay since they hadn’t talked in a few days. He brought out his phone and called her, waiting anxiously as he listened to the phone ringing.

She answered the call, “Hello?”

“Hey, how’re you?”

“Exhausted.”

“I expected that.”

“What do you want?”

“I know you’re busy, but do you think you could help me hide from Five? She won’t leave me alone about Valentine’s Day.”

“Really? You’re asking me for help?”

“Look, I’ll do anything! I don’t want to have to spend another Valentine’s Day with that pig. Last time she gorged on so much chocolate I felt like puking.”

“Look, I’m busy as hell. Can’t you tell her to fuck off?”

“Believe me, I’ve tried. She won’t leave me alone! And she keeps bringing up going to her ‘romantic beach house.’ The place smells like dead fish and rot.”

“I thought you liked decay and rot?”

“In this case no, I don’t.” He took a breath before continuing, “Anyways, maybe I could bring you breakfast or something? I just need to stay away from home, and I don’t think she’d expect me with you.”

“Breakfast? How early are you planning this?”

“Early as possible. I’m not taking any chances with this.”

“Hmph… I guess you’re being careful about it. Bring me a coffee from that café we went to awhile ago and maybe I’ll let you stick around.”

“You want a bagel or something with that?”

“Doesn’t matter what you get, just make sure it doesn’t taste like shit.”

“Heh, thanks, Z. Y’know… It’s been a little while since we got to talk.”

“And? It hasn’t been that long.”

“So you haven’t missed me at all?”

There was a second of silence before Zero replied, “I wouldn’t say I missed you, but I felt weird not talking to you.”

“Just weird?”

“What, do you expect a goddamn sob story out of me? Besides, I knew I’d see you again. Don’t act all sad, I’m just trying to focus on all these damn roses.”

“You’re right, I’m sorry Z. I don’t really have much going on besides hanging around you, so I guess I wanted to see if you felt the same.”

“‘Felt the same’?”

“Uh…” Dito thought to himself _God, what am I even saying to her?!_ “Like, I just wanted to at least text you. It feels strange not having you around. That’s what I meant.” He asked himself _That is what I meant, right?_ to try and reassure his own feelings.

“When I’m done working I go home, eat whatever’s on the counter, then pass out. So I’m sorry that I forgot to text you.”

“I don’t blame you. I guess I just wondered if you thought about me as much as I thought about you.”

“Then did you miss me, Dito?”

“Pfft, what? No! I just… Um,” he struggled to come up with an excuse, “Don’t worry about it! I was just concerned you were overworking. You should get back to whatever you were doing, I gotta go now.”

“Uh-huh. Don’t forget my coffee tomorrow.”

“Don’t worry Z, I’ll remember.”

Their call ended with a resolution for Dito to escape Five’s Valentine’s Day plans, but now Dito felt nervous about something else. He couldn’t pinpoint the cause, other than it was related with Zero. When she asked if he missed her, he felt as if he was being confronted about his real feelings towards her.

In truth he did miss her—throughout the day he’d find himself thinking of the time they spent together. If he wasn’t thinking of that he would be daydreaming of what they could do together or anticipating the next time they got to chat. These type of thoughts had been plaguing his mind for awhile, but recently they increased. It may have been her absence from his life, Valentine’s Day, or a combination of both. Whatever reason, Dito’s feelings towards Zero were becoming more complicated.

* * *

Dito woke up early in the morning to get a headstart on his plan to evade Five. There was a good chance she was hung over and sleeping in as it was evident she partied hard the previous night since she drunk called Dito from a payphone, but he wasn’t willing to risk it. After his usual hot shower he fashioned himself in a black jeans and a shirt with gold buttons. Because it was a holiday he put on his spiked letterman jacket to dress up; even if he didn’t like Valentine’s Day, he still wanted to put thought into his outfit.

Instead of eating at home he decided to order his breakfast with Zero’s coffee. When he arrived at the cafè he was ten minutes early to opening. While waiting for them to open he texted Zero he was picking up their food.

_Getting your coffee, want anything in particular to eat?_

She texted back, _Don’t care. Why the hell are you up so early? I haven’t even left the damn house yet._

_Great question! You see, I got woken up at 3 in the goddamn morning with a drunk call from the blonde bimbo telling me how much she LOVES me and when I tried to fall back asleep after hanging up she appeared in my nightmare. Turns out she’s the literal woman of my nightmares, which is a great motivator for getting the fuck away from her as soon as possible._

_Sorry I asked._

_It’s fine. The store’s open now, I’ll see you later._

He left the car and entered the cafè. Inside they had special Valentine’s Day treats, which made Dito feel a bit sick to his stomach. _These look disgustingly sweet…_ At the register he ordered a coffee for Zero and two sandwiches. The cashier attempted to promote their Valentine’s Day specials, but Dito declined at first.

“Would you like to try one of our treats? We have these cute rose and heart cookies you can give to a special someone!”

“Heh, I think I’d get stabbed if I made her look at another rose, so no thanks.”

“Oh, that’s a shame… Maybe she’d like the heart instead?”

“She’d probably prefer a real heart—at least I know I would. But sure, why not?”

The cashier laughed nervously, “Aha...haha… Great! I think…”

He received his order and took a peak at the cookie he purchased. It was pink and had “BE MINE?” written on it with white icing. When he realized what he had done, he put it back in the bag hastily. _What was I thinking?! She’s not even my “special someone.”_ He walked out of the store feeling embarrassed about his purchase.

On the drive to Hidden Garden Dito saw that there were many couples already celebrating. Some were walking hand in hand on the sidewalk and others were clearly driving to their Valentine’s Day plans. It annoyed him, but it was nothing compared to the usual lovey-dovey antics at home between Two and Cent.

When he drove up to the floral shop he noticed a customer was already in picking up a bouquet. Zero was wearing the same white dress he saw her in last time and sitting behind the register with the customer across from her. The sight was a bit jarring, since Dito was so accustomed to the shop only having Zero in it. As Dito entered the store he passed the man leaving.

“Here’s your order boss,” he placed the coffee on the counter. “Guess you’ve already got customers today.”

“Yup,” she took a drink out of the coffee, “What’s in the bag?”

“Oh, this? It’s a sandwich and a really stupid cookie. I don’t know why I got it, I don’t even like sweets that much…”

“Shut up and hand me the bag.”

He reluctantly passed the bag to her, afraid she would take the cookie the wrong way. _Ugh, I hope she doesn’t think anything weird about me for getting this…_

She took the bag then peered in and grabbed the cookie. “Hmm…” she hummed before taking a large bite out it.

“Wh-,” Dito was shocked at how nonchalant she was acting.

“It’s pretty good. I should go back to that cafè.”

“You’re just gonna eat a cookie first thing in the morning without anything besides a coffee?!”

“Relax, I ate some chips from a bag I found on the floor before I left for work.”

“Seriously, that’s really not any better!”

“Whatever,” she continued to eat the cookie.

“So you don’t think it’s weird I got that? I mean, the cashier sold it to me like I was giving it to my girlfriend.”

“Does it matter?”

“I dunno, I guess I felt strange after buying it since I didn’t realize they were meant for the person you’re dating.”

“You’re the one being weird about it.”

“Yeah… You’re right. Sorry, Z.” He thought how if he gave it to someone else it wouldn’t phase him, but giving it to Zero specifically made him feel flustered.

“Don’t apologize. Just cut out all this weird shit, okay?”

“What do you mean?”

“Like making a big deal out a cookie and asking if I missed you over the phone.”

“Oh, that. I don’t know why I started acting like that… I’m not used to having friends—or just people I don’t hate in my life. That’s probably why I’ve been kinda strange.”

“Whatever you say,” she chomped down the final piece of the Valentine treat then washed it down with her coffee.

“So, what should I do? There’s a lot left in the day.”

“Do whatever you want. I’m staying until late to make sure everything got done right.”

“Oh yeah, can I stay at your place tonight? I’m worried Five will be staking out my place.”

“Seriously? I already have Accord staying over, I don’t know where you’d sleep.”

“We can just share a room.” Zero stared at him intensely and a face of shock came over when he realized what he said. “Um, I didn’t mean it that way! Unless you want to…”

“...Sure, might as well.”

“Wait, seriously?”

“No, just sleep in the living room. But I usually crash there anyways, so we’d be sharing a room still.”

“That works with me. Thanks, Z.”

“I thought _I_ was going you call you if something went wrong. Now it’s the other way around.”

“Hah, sorry, you can blame your sister for this. But I’d probably drop by if I wasn’t hiding from her anyways though.”

“Oh yeah? How come?”

“Gotta make sure you aren’t overworking, obviously. And if you’re stressed you might need a shoulder massage from me,” he smirked as he teased her.

“I’ll pass, thanks.” She passed the bag back to him, “Go put these in the back, I’ll eat my sandwich during lunch.”

“Gotcha, I’ll do that then take a look at the other shops around here.”

“Just don’t get in the way of work.”

He gave her a quick “Yeah, yeah,” then walked to the back. Upon entering he took note of the sink and fridge; he assumed this was where Zero took her breaks and ate. He went to take his sandwich out and placed it on the table before leaving the bag in the fridge for Zero.

As he ate he observed the room. There wasn’t much to it except that it wasn’t filled to the brim with plants like the rest of the shop. Other than a succulent in the window and a vase with a pink rose, it was considerably barren. When he had opened the fridge he noticed that it was empty, implying she often skipped a meal at work. It wasn’t too surprising Dito, as she showed she doesn’t possess the best eating habits earlier.

After finishing his sandwich Dito left the back room to go explore the area a bit. More people had arrived when he walked through the store. Zero was already getting frustrated at the stupidity of some customers, which made Dito laugh a bit. She evidently heard him and gave him a glare, making him rush out of the store faster.

Outside the majority of shops were either packed or closed. Instead of fighting through crowds Dito decided to window shop instead.

The first place he looked at was an antique shop; there were mannequins dressed in vintage outfits accessorized with pearl necklaces and bracelets. It was mostly filled with women’s clothing and jewelry, which didn’t excite him much. The next store he looked at was a taxidermy store. Stuffed owls, foxes, and various other animals were displayed in the window. It was creepy, but also intriguing. _I should come back here when it’s open. Maybe I’ll bring Z with me._ Most other stores were food related and had couples eating out on a nice early Valentine’s lunch. Once he had walked around for an hour and a half he grew tired of the scenery and went back to the shop.

Coming back he found a greater amount of customers swarming around Zero. The majority of men she was giving bouquets of red roses to were panicked boyfriends who had forgotten the date. Dito wanted to give her a hand as she looked overwhelmed, but he knew she would only yell at him for getting in the way. He went to the back room and decided to waste time on his phone.

A little after noon Zero joined Dito in the back room to eat her lunch.

“How’s work?”

She grabbed the sandwich from the fridge then sat down across from him. “If I see another fucking rose I’ll go insane.”

“Yeah, I thought so.”

“These shit for brains men can’t even remember to get flowers on time for their girlfriends. Why the hell do they think they can boss me around to hurry up?”

“You always tell ‘em off in the end, so I think it works out. I almost feel bad for them… Almost.”

“I still have to be somewhat nice. I can’t have people leaving bad reviews for this place because I tell someone to go fuck themselves.”

“Oh, I’m sure someone has already complained on Yelp about you.”

“...So what if they did?”

“Wait, seriously?” He smiled in amusement as she pouted.

She changed the topic, “Anyways, I can’t stand seeing this right now.” She walked over to the vase with a rose in it. “I’ll be back, I’m gonna put it next to the register or something.”

“If you don’t come back I’ll eat your sandwich.”

“I’ll kill you.”

She left to go back to the register while carrying the vase. Not long after there was a crash followed by Zero cursing. Dito walked out to find the vase shattered on the floor and Zero’s hand bleeding.

“Are you okay?!”

“Yeah, just swell,” she answered sarcastically.

He walked over to her while trying to avoid the shards, “How’d this happen?”

“I dropped the stupid piece of shit and one of the pieces cut me.”

“C’mon, we gotta run it under cold water and wrap it up.” He took her uninjured hand and walked back to the breakroom. “Do you have bandages?”

“There should be some under the sink.”

“Alright, just wash off the blood while I look.”

“I don’t need to be told what to do.”

He turned on the faucet and let water flow out, “You also didn’t need to drop a vase and mess up your hand, but here we are!”  

She rolled his eyes at his words then placed her hand under the water.

Dito searched the bottom cabinets for a first aid kit and found it. He brought it out and opened it; inside were bandages and antiseptic wipes. “Dry off your hand and I’ll use this wipe then bandage it up.”

“I can do it myself.”

“Just let me do this! I already know you’ll just wrap it up a bit and think that’s enough.”

“Who'd have known you’d be so careful?” She turned off the faucet then dried off her hand on the hem of her dress.

“See?! You do shit like that, as if I’d trust you.” He grabbed her hand again and wiped the wound.

Zero winced at the sting of the antiseptic, “I hate doing all of this. Just put a bandaid on it and I’ll be fine!”

“Really? None of the bandaids in that kit would’ve been big enough to cover this.”

“Just put a bunch of bandaids on it—works just the same.”

“No, no it doesn’t!” He wrapped her hand in bandages, “There, I’ll go pick up those shards.”

She watched him walk out of the room to clean up her mess. Along with shattered vase pieces, water and the rose was on the tiled floor. At first Dito went to collect the shards, but instead he examined the rose and picked it up. _Hey, this kinda reminds me of…_

“It’ll be a lot easier to clean with this,” Zero walked out holding a broom.

“Oh, right,” he was still looking at the rose in his hand.

Her expression became annoyed, “What is it now? I told you to knock it off with the weird shit.”

He walked over to her, still holding the rose, “I was thinking that this rose was the same color as your eyes.”

“...Huh?” Her face looked surprised.

“I know, I’ll stop with the weird shit, I just noticed it was a pretty similar pink to your eyes when I went to clean it all up.”

“...” She became despondent towards his words.

“Uh, Z? Hello?”

“I…” She looked down to the floor and struggled to find any words to tell him her thoughts.

Dito became concerned, “Hey, are you alright?” He went to move closer to her when a customer walked in.

“Hi, I’m looking to get some roses?”

It took her a moment, but Zero brought her head back up. “I’ll get you some in a moment. Just have to clean this up real quick.”

“It’s okay, I’ve got this. You can go take care of him.”

“Alright…” She walked over to help the customer.

Dito watched her with concerned eyes for a moment before he went back to sweeping up the pieces. After he got rid of the shards he grabbed the rose again and placed it on the counter. All that was left of the accident was water on the ground, which made Dito go to the back room to take a towel.

When he came back out Zero was already back behind the register. He went to dry off the floor and passed by her, with the rose still where he had left it. Once he finished drying the floor he noticed she stared at the flower, seeming to be in a deep thought. A part of him wanted to ask her what was wrong, but he knew she would deal with more customers and decided to wait until work was done. He returned to the back room again to wait for her to finish.

By the time the sun set she came into the backroom again.

“I’m going home.”

“Can I still stay over?”

“Doesn’t matter to me what you do,” she took the bag with her sandwich and left the room.

He followed her outside, “I’ll just follow you in my car, okay?”

“Fine by me.”

Both got in each others car and drove towards Zero’s home. On the drive Dito thought of what could be bothering her. _Did I do something wrong? Is she really that sick of roses?_ As soon as the cars were parked, he ran up her to, “Hey!”

She was grabbing keys out of her pocket, “What? You don’t have to shout, I’m right here.”

“Don’t act like you’re fine. I know you aren’t. I don’t know if it’s the cut or something else, but now you’re the one who’s acting weird.”

“Well…” Zero put the keys in the lock, “You caught me off guard when you said that about my eyes.” She turned to look at Dito, “I was told that before when growing up.”

“Did people tell you that a lot as kid?”

“Close… I was friends with a girl and she told me my eyes were the same color as roses, so she called me ‘Rose’ as a nickname.”

“‘Rose?’” Dito repeated.

“Yup… no one’s told me that in years,” she turned back and unlocked the door. “I guess I lost it since I’d been working with nothing but roses all day.” She opened the door and motioned Dito to come in.

After they stepped inside, Dito continued the conversation. “That makes sense. I’d probably would have snapped if I were you.” He sat down on the couch in the living room, “Were you good friends?”

“Yeah, pretty good, she was my only friend,” she sat down next to him. “At least until she and her shitty boyfriend left me out to die.”

“Oh, one of those kinds of friends, huh?”

“Yup,” she stood up, “I’m gonna check on Mikhail and Accord. You can find a movie or something to watch. There’s snacks in the kitchen if you wanna grab those too.”

“Oh, up for some slashers?”

“Sure, why not? I’ll be back.”

Zero left for upstairs and Dito searched the kitchen for snacks. He took some candy and chips that were definately for Mikhail, but he figured it Zero and him deserved to indulge. Dito went back to the couch to search for movies while Zero was already coming down stairs after a few moments. She had changed out of her dress and into a grey t-shirt with black tights. “Back already?”

“Those two idiots fell asleep.”

“Ha, that might be a good thing.”

“You’re right,” she sat back besides him, “Find anything?”

“No, not yet,” he put down the remote and looked at her hand. “Hey, let me see your hand and make sure it’s wrapped good enough.”

She put her hand out and Dito inspected her bandaged covered palm, “Alright, I think it looks good.” Although he was done checking her hand, he didn’t let go of it.

“Yeah…” She looked at him and then down at their hands, which had become intertwined.

“Oh, uh-” without realizing, the two had begun holding each others hands. “Sorry!” He let go of her hand and backed away, flustered at what he had unconsciously done.

“It’s okay… Let’s find a movie now.”

“Yeah, alright…” He was worried she was upset with him, but when he looked up he saw her face smiling.

 _Goddammit…_ he thought to himself, _I think I’m in love with her._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow I'm so sorry if this isn't the best, I really rushed writing this chapter and Valentine's Day is also my birthday so I'm trying to post this as soon as possible. I hope the wait for updates was worth it, I decided to upload two chapters to make up for the long update.   
> If you haven't read Zero's novella yet I suggest doing that since I did reference it  
> Also wow congrats to Dito finally realizing he loves Zero after 6 chapters


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